Bolt: Ukraine aid refusal exposes Albo govt’s boneheaded stupidity

We’ve had plenty of warnings about the Albanese Government’s idiocy, but its rejection of Ukraine’s request for retired Taipan helicopters exposes just how stupid it really is.

Something scary about the Albanese Government became obvious last week. It’s the most boneheaded stupid I’ve seen.

It’s not just incompetent but thick, doing things so dumb that even its ministers can’t explain them.

We’ve had warnings before, like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s total inability to explain how it would help to divide Australians by race in our constitution and create an Aboriginal-only advisory parliament.

Or last year’s release of murderers and pedophiles from immigration detention without first protecting the public.

But for idiocy nothing beats its decision to literally bury 45 helicopters in the ground rather than let Ukraine have them to defend itself from Russian invaders.

Certainly Albanese last week couldn’t explain it, passing the buck: “We take advice from the Department of Defence”.

The Taipans were grounded last year after a crash that killed four servicemen.

These 45 helicopters are Taipans which the government grounded last year after a crash that killed four servicemen.

It then kept them grounded, saying new Blackhawk helicopters were coming this year anyway.

Just weeks later, it decided to strip the choppers for spares and bury the frames underground, assuming no one would want them.

Wrong. Ukraine’s chief of Defence Intelligence wrote one month ago to Defence Minister Richard Marles, asking for them, saying: “Our wounded are dying unnecessarily on the front because we cannot get them from the front to emergency care fast enough … We do not have helicopters that can rapidly deploy and evacuate our wounded”.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy insulted our intelligence when trying to explain his decision to refuse Ukraine’s request. Picture: Martin Ollman

Yet a month later, our government still hadn’t given Ukraine an answer. It just went ahead with plans to bury the Taipans Ukraine desperately needs as it runs short of weapons and ammunition.

Why? Pat Conroy, the Defence Industry Minister, tried last Thursday to explain this moronic decision and only insulted our intelligence.

He said Ukraine couldn’t have the Taipans because “we do not know whether they’re safe to fly”, and “to get them into a condition to provide to the Ukrainian government would require considerable taxpayers’ expense”.

Nonsense. First, there’s no proof the Taipans aren’t safe. Other air forces still use them, and the black box from last year’s crash found no fault with the aircraft.

What’s more, surely it’s up to Ukraine to decide if they’re too unsafe to rescue its injured soldiers.

And how much would it really cost to make them flight-ready? Are we that stingy and fickle? Would Ukraine pay instead? Maybe the French manufacturer could help.

What’s this government thinking? Answer: it’s not thinking at all.